33 CFR 151.1515: Ballast water management alternatives under extraordinary conditions

Last reviewed: October 14, 2026

This section covers vessels that cannot carry out their planned ballast water management because of extraordinary conditions or equipment problems. Paragraph (a) requires a master to request permission from the Captain of the Port to exchange ballast in an agreed area. Paragraph (b) requires problems with a ballast water management system or method to be reported to the COTP as soon as practicable.

Applies toParagraph (a) applies to the master of any vessel subject to this subpart that uses BWE to meet the requirements of this subpart; paragraph (b) applies to the master, owner, operator, agent, or person in charge of a vessel with a ballast water management system required by this subpart.

What it says

  1. While BWE remains an option under the schedule in § 151.1512(b), the master of a vessel that uses BWE must request permission from the Captain of the Port (COTP) if, due to weather, equipment failure, or other extraordinary conditions, the vessel cannot exchange before entering the Exclusive Economic Zone and the master intends to discharge ballast water into the waters of the United States.

    33 CFR 151.1515(a)“due to weather, equipment failure, or other extraordinary conditions, is unable to effect a BWE before entering the Exclusive Economic Zone, and intends to discharge ballast water into the waters of the United States, must request permission from the Captain of the Port (COTP)”

  2. The master must request permission to exchange the ballast water within an area agreed to by the COTP at the time of the request, and then discharge the ballast water within that designated area.

    33 CFR 151.1515(a)“to exchange the vessel's ballast water within an area agreed to by the COTP at the time of the request and then discharge the vessel's ballast water within that designated area.”

  3. Once BWE is no longer an option under the schedule in § 151.1512(b), if the required ballast water management system stops operating properly during a voyage or the vessel's BWM method is unexpectedly unavailable, the master, owner, operator, agent, or person in charge must ensure the problem is reported to the COTP as soon as practicable.

    33 CFR 151.1515(b)“the master, owner, operator, agent, or person in charge of the vessel must ensure that the problem is reported to the COTP as soon as practicable.”

  4. The vessel may continue to the next port of call, subject to the directions of the COTP or the USCG Great Lakes District Commander, as provided by 33 CFR part 160.

    33 CFR 151.1515(b)“The vessel may continue to the next port of call, subject to the directions of the COTP or the USCG Great Lakes District Commander, as provided by 33 CFR part 160.”

Common questions

What must a master do if weather prevents ballast water exchange before entering the EEZ?

If BWE is still an option under the schedule in § 151.1512(b) and the master intends to discharge ballast water into the waters of the United States, the master must request permission from the Captain of the Port. The request is to exchange ballast in an area agreed to by the COTP at the time of the request.

“must request permission from the Captain of the Port (COTP) to exchange the vessel's ballast water within an area agreed to by the COTP at the time of the request”

What if my ballast water management system stops working during a voyage?

Once BWE is no longer an option, the master, owner, operator, agent, or person in charge must ensure the problem is reported to the COTP as soon as practicable.

“if the ballast water management system required by this subpart stops operating properly during a voyage or the vessel's BWM method is unexpectedly unavailable”

Can a vessel continue to its next port after a ballast water system failure?

Yes, the vessel may continue to the next port of call. It is subject to the directions of the COTP or the USCG Great Lakes District Commander, as provided by 33 CFR part 160.

“The vessel may continue to the next port of call, subject to the directions of the COTP or the USCG Great Lakes District Commander, as provided by 33 CFR part 160.”

The text of 33 CFR 151.1515

Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), current as of April 16, 2026 · Read it on eCFR

Ballast water management alternatives under extraordinary conditions

(a) As long as ballast water exchange (BWE) remains an option under the schedule in § 151.1512(b) of this subpart, the master of any vessel subject to this subpart who uses BWE to meet the requirements of this subpart and, due to weather, equipment failure, or other extraordinary conditions, is unable to effect a BWE before entering the Exclusive Economic Zone, and intends to discharge ballast water into the waters of the United States, must request permission from the Captain of the Port (COTP) to exchange the vessel's ballast water within an area agreed to by the COTP at the time of the request and then discharge the vessel's ballast water within that designated area.

(b) Once BWE is no longer an option under the schedule in § 151.1512(b) of this subpart, if the ballast water management system required by this subpart stops operating properly during a voyage or the vessel's BWM method is unexpectedly unavailable, the master, owner, operator, agent, or person in charge of the vessel must ensure that the problem is reported to the COTP as soon as practicable. The vessel may continue to the next port of call, subject to the directions of the COTP or the USCG Great Lakes District Commander, as provided by 33 CFR part 160.

Sections it refers to

The plain-English explanation on this page was written with AI from the regulation text above and checked automatically before publishing: every quote appears in the text, every number comes from it, and a second model confirmed each statement adds nothing the text doesn't say. Regulation text current as of April 16, 2026. The regulation text governs. RegKnot is not affiliated with the U.S. Coast Guard.